Mary Ann and the Magic Beans
by acclutch94
Summary: While preparing for another storm, Mary Ann finds something she thinks will help her.  She ends up very ill and the Professor learns new things about himself in the process of caring for her.  Not my characters, just borrowing for a little MA/P romance.
1. Chapter 1

It had been three years last week since the castaways have been stranded on this remote island. They had become used to the seasonal shifts and regular dangers that one faced there. Still hopeful for a rescue the 7 nonetheless prepared for those changes. Relying on the always knowledgable Professor, the castaways met up for their usual breakfast once again.

Mary Ann had prepared the ever constant fruit tray. However, she tried something new this morning. She had discovered spearmint growing, in little sprigs on the far side of the island. Having grown her own in her little garden back home, she did not need the Professor to verify its identity and had already consumed a little in a hot water/mint drink she prepared herself the day before. Since she hadn't taken ill in the least, it was safe for everyone else and would be, perhaps a welcomed surprise.

The pineapple was spread out as usual and all 6 other castaways started making their way to the communal table. Gilligan asked, "Skipper, what's that green stuff on the pineapple there?"

Skipper looked over and narrowed his eyes. He looked back at Gilligan and then bent down to sniff the fruit when Gilligan tried to lean over with him. However Gilligan lost his balance and pushed the Skipper's face into the plate.

Gilligan's eyes widened as the Skipper slowly stood up with pineapple stuck to his face, but licking the side of his mouth. He started to give that look to Gilligan that he better run when he caught the taste of mint. He took a rag and wiped off his face with a huge grin and said, "That's mint. Where did we get mint?"

He and Gilligan started looking around for Mary Ann. The Professor made his way to the table and noticed that Gilligan and the Skipper appeared to be looking for someone. "What's wrong Skipper? Gilligan?"

Gilligan said, "We're just looking for Mary Ann because of what she did to the pineapple."

The Skipper licked his lips with a big smile on his face and said, "When did you find the mint Professor? And more importantly, why didn't you tell us!"

The Professor looked confused, "Mint? I didn't find any..."

Just then Mary Ann came around the corner and took their makeshift plates and sat them down for everyone. "Good morning!" She said.

The Professor asked, "Mary Ann, did you find some mint growing somewhere on the island?" as he walked around to her standing at the end of the table looking quite pleased with how it looked.

She looked back at him and answered, "Why yes, yes I did. Over on the far side of the island. There wasn't much, but I did bring one back with roots and I put it in a little pot I made so we can grow more." She smiled as she started to walk back over to the supply hut to get more of their utensils. The Skipper and Gilligan began to share what Mary Ann found with Ginger and Mr. and Mrs. Howell as the Professor followed Mary Ann. He told them to wait to eat anything until he got back.

He followed her into the hut, "Mary Ann, why didn't you come get me and let me check it out before you put it on our food this morning?"

She was picking up some of the utensils when she looked up at him and answered, "Because I know what it is. I used to grow Spearmint in my little garden back home. I know what it looks like, smells like and tastes like. Besides, just to make sure I boiled some water and added a little last night just to make sure it was safe for everyone."

She started to move past him, but he grabbed her arm and looked her closely in the eyes when he asked, "You mean you consumed some of it first, to determine its toxicity, to make sure none of us would get sick or worse..." Then he blinked his eyes and put both hands on her arms and told her, "Don't ever do that again, Mary Ann. I mean it. I'm right here, just come get me and I can..."

Mary Ann smiled, although she was getting annoyed. She told him, "I know you are right here, but really... I knew what I was doing. Some of us can recognize a plant or two, ok? Really, you aren't the only one."

She got loose and he followed her back to the table. Putting everything down she noticed how happy everyone seemed and were almost drooling over her pineapple this morning. "Dig in!" She told them.

The Professor put up his hand just as the remaining five started to grab it all at once, "Wait!" Then he turned to Mary Ann and said, "Can I at least see this sample you brought back that you plan to grow here?"

Mary Ann rolled her eyes but took him to the pot. The first thing he noticed was the pot, "When did you make this or did you find it?" He almost seemed in awe.

She smiled and said, "Well, it didn't exactly turn out perfectly but I was experimenting with some of the soil or mud and that glue compound you decided to throw out to make a clay pot, and well, it works well enough for a plant I guess."

The Professor was impressed to say the least as he admired it and then checked out the plant inside. Sure enough it was a standard typical representation of a spearmint leaf sticking out of the dirt with a stem going into it.

He told her, "Ok, ok, I see. You were right. This is wonderful Mary Ann. The new flavor will refresh our palates."

He smiled and rubbed her back while saying, "Let's get back and have breakfast, shall we?" He leaned his arm out and she wrapped hers around his as they walked back.

He announced as they arrived back, "Its mint alright, dig in!"

He started to sit down with the others and noticed that she smiled and then started to leave.

Ginger noticed as well, "Mary Ann...aren't you going to come enjoy this with us? You know with Gilligan and the Skipper there won't be leftovers." She shot a quick smile to the Skipper and Gilligan as they both looked up when they heard their names.

Mrs. Howell then chimed in, "Yes dear, do come back and enjoy this marvelous breakfast with us!" She then turned to her husband and said, "Oh Thurston, this reminds me of brunch at the country club."

Mr. Howell smiled and said, "Yes, yes, minus the champagne of course...and the golf course...and the counting of the money in the safe..." He started to get teary eyed and said, "Oh Lovey! The counting...I do miss the counting!"

Mrs. Howell patted his arm and Mary Ann smiled when she said, "I already had some. I started the laundry down at the lagoon and need to go check on it. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Just leave your plates here and I'll clean them when I get back."

They all thanked her but the Professor noticed something about Mary Ann that seemed off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but felt something was wrong. He wasn't able to dwell on the thought long however.

The Skipper asked, "So, Professor...we're coming up on monsoon season again. What have you heard over the radio?" He got a second helping.

The Professor answered, "Well, from what I've heard it looks like we're in for a bad season. Its an El Nino weather pattern this year and that means more hurricanes will hit our region than the Atlantic. The meteorologists are predicting a particularly rough year and my own instruments concur." All six started to frown.

Gilligan then asked, "You broke your instruments?"

The Skipper shook his head and told him, "No, Gilligan, they concur, meaning they agree, meaning..."

Ginger just sighed and said, "Meaning the weather men are right."

The Professor saw how down everyone seemed so he told them, "Look, we've been through these before..."

Gilligan then spoke up, "But not a El Nina or Nino or whatever. You've never said that before."

Mrs. Howell then spoke up, "Yes Professor...I've never heard you speak of this El Nino before."

The Professor nodded his head and explained, "Its an irregular climate phenomenon...I mean its an irregular climate pattern we see every three to four years in the Pacific Ocean. There is also something called La Nina which affects the Atlantic." Everyone still seemed confused so he decided to explain further, "Basically what it means is that the conditions are right in the atmosphere for stronger storms. What that means for us is that we need to prepare better than we have in the past...stock up on supplies and determine a more favorable position on the island should a storm strike."

The Skipper then chimed in, "He's right. We can handle this, we've handled worse, right?" The Howell's, Ginger and Gilligan then seemed to perk up a little bit.

Mr. Howell stepped forward, "Of course we can handle this. Its no different than preparing for an audit from the IRS, you just have to know how to move things around to protect your assets. Right...Lovey, dear..." He started to kiss her as he giggled in her ear to which she moved up her shoulders and squealed in delight.

The Skipper shook his head and before asking the Professor about any plan he had he noticed Gilligan shudder at the public display of affection Mr. Howell was giving Mrs. Howell. Although it was innocent enough his little buddy seemed appalled which made the Skipper chuckle before asking.

The Professor replied, "Well, I think it would be best if I scout for a shelter, probably in the caves and determine its viability. You and Gilligan should do a lot of fishing, Skipper, but don't kill the fish, just catch them and tie them in the lagoon for now. Ginger, I'll need you start packing away some of the supplies and gather more vines. Mr. and Mrs. Howell, I think the two of you should pack yourselves up to be ready to move and help Ginger. Mary Ann, I'll get her to make a couple of more of those pots if they can to hold water."

They all looked at him confused and he then explained the pot she made for the spearmint. Then Ginger asked, "If she can grow mint, why can't we grow some of the other things we eat here?"

The Professor explained, "Most of what we eat are the products of trees, but you're right Ginger. Perhaps we can plant a few of the herbs I find and grow those."

After consuming the entire tray the castaways left their plates and headed off to their respective tasks. The Professor went looking for Mary Ann, as she was the only one not present when they were divided up.


	2. Chapter 2

2

The Professor found her sitting on a rock crying. The basket she made had everyone's clothes folded up neatly inside. He quickened his pace as he noticed her upset. "Mary Ann...Mary Ann, are you alright?" He put his hand on her shoulder as he squatted down in front of her, looking her over to see if she were injured.

She wiped the tears away quickly and said, "Yes, I'm fine, really." She started to get up, but got dizzy for a second. The Professor caught her as she stumbled.

He was immediately concerned, "Mary Ann, I can most definitely see that you are not fine. Are you sure you didn't have any adverse reaction to that mint you consumed?"

She shook her head as she held on to his arms, leading her to sit back on the rock. She told him, "No, its not the mint. It's just...its just..." she started to cry again.

This time the Professor wrapped his arm around her shoulder and patted her other arm. Then he asked, "Its just what, Mary Ann?"

She pulled back and answered, "Its just that the mint reminded me of home. My Mom used to make this hot mint pineapple juice drink for me when I was sick. When I saw it there yesterday, I wasn't even thinking of her or home. I was just glad I found it. But today, when I could smell the pineapple and the mint, I..." She started crying again.

The Professor understood and holding her again said, "Ah yes, mint is one of the seven types of sensations that smell receptors are sensitive to." Mary Ann looked confused so he explained, "What I mean is, mint is one of the stronger smells and since you have associated that particular smell and pineapple with a memory or time in your life, its only natural that your brain would remind you of that time when you smelt it." She seemed to be nodding and he rubbed her back and told her, "The memories can come on rather strongly though."

She pulled back and wiped her eyes again and said, "Its silly I know and there's so much work to do..." She started to get up again but got dizzy, again.

The Professor was even more concerned now and asked her, "Mary Ann, just when did you get up this morning?"

She sat back down again with his help and answered, "Just before the sun did, why?"

He nodded his head and said, "And if I recall correctly, you said something about having to clean up as everyone was going to bed last night, well past 11. Am I correct?"

She nodded and said, "If you say so, I don't really remember what time it was. I needed to clean up the plates so we would have them this morning and then there was the pot I was drying..."

The Professor took a deep breath and told her, "I think you need to go lie down and take a nap."

She started to protest but he insisted. "Mary Ann, you're exhausted. You've been running around this island keeping us fed and cleaning up after us for a while now. I've noticed Ginger doesn't help you out like she used to. The human body can only go for so long and you need to give your body some time to recuperate."

She didn't know if it was the work that had tired her out or the emotional exhaustion she seemed to feel as she grew so homesick so fast. So she agreed. He told her to slowly stand up. She did and he put his arm around her as they cautiously made their way back to her hut. He told her again to lay down and that he would come wake her up in a couple of hours, but to do nothing until he got back. He told her not to worry about anything before he left.

After leaving her hut he ran into Gilligan. "Hey Professor, just getting some more line and another net. Skipper says we need to catch 7 fish per person per day...or was that 1 fish per person per day or maybe it was 5..." he appeared to be counting on his hand trying hard to remember whatever formula the Skipper came up with.

The Professor started into the supply hut as Gilligan followed and said, "I'm sure whatever formula the Skipper has will be fine. Tell him I envisage our needing about two weeks worth of fish."

Gilligan asked, "You envisage...what?"

The Professor turned around after clamping on some equipment and taking a map with him answered, "I foresee us needing about two weeks worth of fish if a hurricane comes our way."

Gilligan seemed to process that and said, "Oh, ok professor. Whatever you say. You're the one that can foresee. I'll tell the Skipper."

"Oh and Gilligan...I think Mary Ann left a basket with our clothes in it down at the lagoon. Would you go get them and bring them here first?" The Professor asked knowing the basket was down there and not wanting Mary Ann to have to redo them.

"Sure thing!" Gilligan said. He took off with the supplies as the Professor smiled and then started out.

About two hours later Mary Ann woke up. She could hear the Howells grumbling and maybe even Ginger grumbling.

"Oh dear...my beautiful shawl...gone...lost forever trying to pull down vines!" Mrs. Howell cried out.

Mr. Howell tried to comfort her, "Now, now dear. You mustn't fret now. Its so middle class to worry about such things. When we get back I'll buy you a whole store full of them. No, I'll buy you the whole store itself!" He patted her back and walked her to their hut.

Ginger came in dragging into her's and Mary Ann's hut. "I'm beat! I don't know how many vines I pulled and now the Professor wants me to pack up supplies. I can't do it, Mary Ann. I simply can't!" She feel on the bed practically as if she had rehearsed it for a movie earlier in her career. The scene appeared perfect, right down to the back of her hand falling softly on her forehead as she landed.

Mary Ann sat up and thought to herself, 'Break time is over.' She told Ginger, "Don't worry, I'll handle it. I need to get lunch started anyway. I'll pack up a few of the supplies while the stew cooks with the herbs the Professor found the other day."

Ginger was almost asleep it appeared when she muttered out, "Oh thank you Mary Ann. You really are a life saver."

Mary Ann smiled and then headed out. She did feel better but was also embarrassed that the Professor had to practically carry her back to the hut. Having grown up on a farm she knew when a person became a weak link and she didn't want to be that person. No, she was the one they needed and depended on. How would they feed themselves if she weren't around? Or would their laundry or dishes ever get cleaned? No, she needed to do something to strengthen her stamina and endurance. She had an idea as to just how to go about doing that too.

Perhaps her best kept secret, better than the mint was the fact that she found coffee beans growing down by the lagoon. Now she was no expert on coffee beans the way she was with mint, but they were bitter and certainly didn't taste like chocolate. Her greatest proof was the burst of energy she got when she ate one the other day. Her plan had been to surprise everyone once again after coyly asking the professor about the production of coffee so she could figure out how to make it into the drink everyone had expressed that they loved the other night of the anniversary when they were all sharing what they missed most. She was ecstatic when she found it. She only needed more time to figure out how to prepare it.

In the meantime, that burst of energy was exactly what she needed and she headed off in that direction to go get it.

The Professor made his way around the lush inland jungle with his map. Given that they had lived there for so long, they pretty much knew the general layout of the island, even if they hadn't explored every inch. He was pretty sure the caves just ahead of him provided the best cover in a hurricane. They faced the east which would provide the cover they needed given that any storm would emerge from the west as the other storms had done. He found one that was absolutely perfect and from its height, he could see what appeared to be a stream, a fresh source of water.

As he made his way down to the water, he barely noticed a branch scratching his side. It hurt, but he paid little attention and was unaware that it had broken the skin. After making his way to the water source, he put down his bag and bent down but slipped and fell in.

"Great, well at least I know how Gilligan feels sometimes." He chuckled to himself and then pulled his body out of the water. After eating a quick banana he had packed, he headed back to the campsite.

By the time he got back, he started feeling achy but shrugged it off as there was much work to be done. He needed to check and catalog his barometer reading and then check on the progress of all the castaways, especially Mary Ann.

He had hoped no one had woken her and that she had awaken on her own. He had reasonably concluded that since her body was telling her to slow down and rest, it would naturally let her know when she had received enough. He expected to find her up and about when he got back but not going at the pace she was as he entered the camp.

Mary Ann practically jogged past him to get to the pot to stir it again. She had to sit down some vines on the ground close to the table before stirring though, which she did quickly. Then she quickly picked the vines back up and started to wind them around her hand at a very fast rate walking to the supply hut, tied the ends and tossed it in.

She started back quickly to the pot again when the Professor grabbed her arm to stop her. "Mary Ann, slow down. I take it you feel better?" He asked surprised at her energy.

She answered, "Yes, yes, yes. Much, much, much better." Mary Ann said with a smile and then turned back to the stew.

The Professor was startled and started to say something when Gilligan came running around the table being chased by the Skipper who was drenched. "Now come here Little Buddy! I just want to have a word with you."

Gilligan hid behind the Professor, "Oh no you don't...you want to hit me with that hat of yours because my fishing line got tangled in yours and we both thought we caught a fish but caught each other."

The Skipper walked over slowly to the Professor as if he were a lion stalking the prey that was Gilligan and said, "But only one of us ended up swimming like a fish." He reached out and whacked Gilligan over the head as he tried to run past the Professor and around the Skipper.

The Professor shouted, "Now hold on! We have too much to do to prepare for a hurricane to be engaging in this tomfoolery!"

Both the Skipper and Gilligan seemed to calm down and looked at him before Mary Ann announced that dinner was ready.


	3. Chapter 3

3

Mary Ann set out all the plates quickly enough and then ran back to her hut and the Howell's to get them and Ginger. Within seconds they were all sitting down eating again. Mary Ann though just looked at her plate and listened to the others.

The Professor asked, "So aside for your little swimming adventure today, did you procure us a sufficient quantity of fish?"

Gilligan looked up from his plate and asked "What?"

The Skipper answered as he looked annoyed back at Gilligan, "Yes, Professor I think we caught enough for the first few days. We'll go back out again tomorrow and keep at it."

"Ginger, Mr. and Mrs. Howell...did you get the amount of vine I asked for?" the Professor asked as he turned to them.

Ginger looked at Mary Ann who nodded and answered, "Yes we did. Just check the supply hut."

Mrs. Howell then added, "Although I did lose my beautiful scarf out there to those horrible vines." Mr. Howell then patted her arm again for comfort.

The Professor then looked at Mary Ann who seemed to be fidgeting. "Mary Ann? I see you cooked dinner..."

Before he could ask if she got enough rest she interrupted, "Yes I did and I got the laundry done along with a couple of other things." She closed her eyes for a second and swallowed hard.

He noticed, and given the fact that she practically passed out in his arms that morning he asked her, "Are you ok? You don't seem to be eating..."

Everyone seemed to focus on her and she got flustered, "I'm fine really, just not very hungry. I think I'll go clean the pot and get some things together for breakfast in the morning."

She got up hurriedly and walked quickly back down to the lagoon. For some reason she was very nauseous and lightheaded. Her breathing was ragged and it felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. 'Its the caffeine', she told herself, 'its just been too long since I've had it, that's all. I'll be fine.' She sat down on a rock on the path and put her hand over her chest to calm herself down. It felt as though her entire body were screaming at her to move and it was uncontrollable. She felt torn, it was like her brain was telling her she needed to slow down, but her body was saying no. So, she went back out collecting vines.

After eating everyone pretty much went off to their respective huts, but the Professor noticed Mary Ann had not returned.

Ginger came out of her hut, headed for the Howell's and he asked her, "Ginger, has Mary Ann said anything to you about not feeling well?"

She looked at the Professor and told him, "No, not to me. I was the one exhausted today. Really, Professor, all those vines. It was so much work! I practically collapsed on the bed. If Mary Ann..."

Ginger stopped in mid sentence because she didn't really want anyone to know that she had once again allowed Mary Ann to fulfill her responsibilities. It wasn't necessarily that she didn't want to do the work, it was just so hard. If it weren't so hard, she'd do it.

The Professor figured it out quickly enough, he did have 6 degrees after all. "If Mary Ann...what? If Mary Ann hadn't taken over?" Her face told him he was right and he sighed and then said, "Mary Ann doesn't need to be doing the work of 4 people here, Ginger. I know its hot and its rough, but we've all got to work together here, ok? Tomorrow you go out collecting and Mary Ann does what I need her to do."

At about that time Gilligan came up and said, "Hey Ginger...you ready to go beat the Howells at cards?"

She smiled at Gilligan before looking back at the Professor and told him, "Ok, ok, I know. I'll work harder tomorrow."

The Professor nodded and then went out looking for Mary Ann.

They almost ran into each other. He was gazing at the stars for a moment and her head was down winding vine around her hand. Instead of hitting each other they both just jumped back startled.

"Oh Professor you scared me." She said as she put her hand to her chest. She dropped the vine and bent over to pick it up.

As she did, he knelt down to help and his hand lightly brushed over hers and the two just stopped and held there for a second. She moved first and kept pulling the vines up and he assisted her. He had noticed she trembled but thought perhaps that it was because she was cold although it was never really cold on the island. The only other explanation was that she felt nervous with him holding her hand or expectant. He wasn't sure how he felt about it if she were expectant.

She thanked him and then asked, "Where are you headed? The lagoon?" She still felt jumpy for some reason.

He answered, "No, just out looking for you. I was worried."

Mary Ann felt taken back a bit and asked, "Worried? Why were you worried?"

He took the vine from her hand and said, "You almost passed out twice today. I'm worried you're working yourself to death. I know you didn't rest as much today as you probably needed to so I'm ordering you to bed rest for the next two days."

Mary Ann shook her head as she walked past him, "Oh no, two days? Are you kidding? How is anyone going to eat around here? And the laundry? I barely keep up as it is, I can't handle two more days worth. I can't..."

He turned her around to face him and said, "Do you want to get so sick that we have to keep you in bed two weeks? Mary Ann, I told you this, this morning, the human body can only take so much. I'm going to use those vines to tie you in bed if you don't go voluntarily, understand? I'm serious!" The last two comments he made, he caught himself raising his voice.

Mary Ann was stunned and thought perhaps she had angered him so she shyly replied, "Ok, ok...I'll rest tomorrow."

The Professor closed his eyes for a second. The last thing he wanted to do was yell at her so he put his arm around her and started leading her back to the camp. "I just want you to slow down and take care of yourself. And no, I can't imagine us surviving long without you. Can you imagine us having to live off of whatever Ginger tried to cook?"

They both laughed for a second and he apologized for raising his voice when he left her at her hut. When he got back to his, he changed quickly and got in his bunk. For some reason he wasn't feeling well himself. He decided he would go out and bathe in the morning before everyone woke up, he just wanted to sleep right then.

He woke up feeling like he had just washed up on shore. There were no words to describe how miserable he felt as the light shone through his window. He did hear a rapping at the door and shouted out as best he could, "Come in!"

Mary Ann entered and said, "Professor, you're missing breakfast, I..."

He noticed the shocked look on her face and asked, "What? What's wrong?" He tried sitting up but his head was throbbing.

She rushed over and put her hand on his head, "Shhh, just lay back down," she told him. He could do little as he laid there watching Mary Ann carefully rummage through his table with his experiments to find what passed as their thermometer. "Here just let me take your temperature." Her words were so soothing and instead of objecting he found himself accepting her help. She stroked his forehead and then asked him, "Do you have any pain, anywhere? Your throat? Your chest?"

He shook his head to each question and when she pulled out the device he asked, "Well? Do I?"

She nodded her head and said, "Its well over 103." She then looked him up and down and noticed something, a stain on his shirt around his waist. "What's this?"

He pulled up the shirt, curious himself and found a red, puss filled sore. Deducting as he did best he answered, "It would appear I have a cut or scratch that has become infected and that infection strengthened overnight." He swallowed hard and then collapsed back on the bed unconscious.

The next thing he knew it was two days later and he was feeling better. All he really recalled was some angel voice reading to him and soft hands stroking his forehead. He started to sit up when Ginger came in, "No, no, no...Mary Ann made it clear to me that my job is to keep you in bed and resting." She ran her hands lightly over his chest.

The Professor started to shake his head and asked, "What day is it? We don't have that long until monsoon season starts and we have a lot of work to do."

Ginger told him, "Shhhh, don't worry about that. Mary Ann took on your job of scouting the island and the Skipper and Gilligan are still catching fish." She kept at it with the seductive display, but the Professor wasn't interested.

So he asked her almost hoping her answer wasn't herself, "So who is doing the cooking?"

She smiled and said, "Well, Mary Ann made a double portion of stew last night so we have leftovers and some more fruit she gathered last night so we should be ok. Nothing for you to worry about, really."

"What about the vines, who is collecting the vines?" he swallowed again and asked.

At that point Mary Ann came in with a bowl and a coconut cup. "Thanks Ginger, but I'll take it from here. Go tell the others that lunch is ready." Ginger quickly left and the Professor started to sit up. "I see you're more awake today...that's good." She put the cup down and then started to lift up his shirt.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he noticed the bowl had some sort of green mash in it that smelt funny.

She told him, "Just stay still. I took that book of yours over there and made this antibiotic paste to put in your wound. The infection is mostly gone now, but I think you need at least one more treatment."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You made an antibiotic paste?"

She smiled and said, "Why yes, it wasn't that hard. Not much different than reading a recipe."

He started to say something, but her simple logic caught him off guard. He wanted to come up with a list of reasons as to why he was the only one who should be engaging such activity, but he couldn't think of a single reason.

Mary Ann pulled back his shirt and the bandage she had created and applied the ointment. It stung, but he had to admit, the wound was almost healed. She finished and then brought the cup up to his mouth. It contained a pineapple juice/mint concoction that made him feel warm on the inside. "There," she said, "the juice has vitamin C, correct, that will also help you beat this infection. Just rest for the rest of the day and don't worry about the preparations. We are handling everything." He started to ask for details on that she when she leaned over and kissed his forehead then smiled and left.


	4. Chapter 4

4

The next few weeks everyone went about their tasks as directed. The Professor had taken note of just how much Mary Ann did around the camp when no one was looking. He also noticed how little the Howells and Ginger did as well.

Unfortunately they lost some precious time with him laid up ill. So he decided only a few days after waking up that last time to get back to work. He had everyone running, but tried to keep an eye on Mary Ann. He was still concerned that she worked too hard and would be run down too quickly. It also appeared she never ate much if she ate at all. He knew there was something wrong, but never had time to think too hard about it. The caloric intake required to perform the work she was doing far exceeded the amount of food he witnessed her eating. He thought perhaps she simply ate small, yet constant amounts to generate the amount of energy she seemed to be using, just no one ever saw her eat it.

However, the Skipper kept him busy with constant problems as Gilligan would destroy one contraption after another, let all the fish go or do something that ended with either him or the Skipper in the water. The Howells seemed to work a little harder the last few days and Ginger did as well. The Professor surmised that the fact that an organized storm was being reported to their west, probably propelled them into action. 'Self preservation has always been a great motivator' he thought to himself. If there was much he wanted to say to Mary Ann, he never really got the chance.

Now, a full two and a half weeks later, the storm was getting closer and closer. Several small bands had passed over the island already and that indicated the intensity of what was to come. The main issue now was simply moving everything to the caves.

The Skipper, Gilligan, and the Professor all exhausted made their way back to the communal picnic table. Gilligan said, "At least everything was packed up, although I'm not sure I can make another haul up that hill."

The Skipper and Professor nodded to each other and the Professor said, "I concur...agree that is. At least it was all put together and all we had to do was move it. I'm not sure I can do this too many more times though." He ran his hand through his hair as they all looked down trying to catch their breaths as Mary Ann walked up to them with dinner.

She noticed how tired they were and thought about telling them about the beans she was now consuming on a regular basis but decided against it. The caffeine seemed to lose its affect faster and faster to her so she was having to consume more and more now and was up to 5 beans at a time now.

So she brought them their dinner and after they slept, she would take over their tasks. It shouldn't be that big a deal. She was already making breakfast, doing the laundry, collecting vines while the clothes dried and packing up everyone's stuff before going back and collecting everything. Then while dinner was cooking, she would tie all the boxes up. She worked on those pots after everyone went to bed. It wasn't as though she didn't sleep, she still got at least 2 hours a night, but in the meantime, these beans were like magic and helped her not only stay awake but lift heavier objects and get more done.

"Here you go, guys. Eat up!" Mary Ann smiled as she gave them each a bowl of her soup. "Skipper I put yours and Gilligan's things into that basket I made in the corner of your hut and Professor, I put those pots in your hut. Most everything has been packed now and tied up so there isn't much left for you guys to do."

They all nodded to her and the Professor smiled at her which made her blush for some odd reason. She left and went to collect just a little more vine to tie up the last of the boxes and bags and then she could pull it up the hill to the caves herself. First, though, she needed more beans.

The three men sat at that table and after eating they all decided to head to bed. Ginger came out and asked for Gilligan to pair with her in another card game with the Howells, but he simply said, "I'm sorry Ginger, but I'm beat." He actually fell asleep at the table just after she left and Skipper picked him up, taking him back to his hammock.

Mary Ann grabbed a handful of beans out of her pocket. She closed her eyes for a second as they really still tasted bitter although she was getting more used to it now. She debated eating 6 but decided against it. If she felt any fatigue at all tomorrow, she would increase it then.

In the meantime she ate all 5 and gathered 6 for tomorrow night before heading back to camp. All the men were asleep as well the Howells and Ginger. No one even noticed she had not returned, 'This will be easier than I thought.'

Mary Ann was proud of how fast she got the remaining supplies, all tied up, to the cave. She knew where it was since she had done that reconnaissance a few weeks ago. The few items that remained she couldn't get to for fear of waking up the Skipper. The Professor slept sound usually, even when ill. She smiled as she recalled caressing his forehead and reading to him. He never stirred so she figured he never knew she was there. Something happened inside of Mary Ann as she tended to him. She saw him in a newer light and as she picked up these boxes and slowly, quietly got them out, she hoped he would be proud of her.

At one point she almost dropped one of them as her arm seemed to give way. She caught it by putting her leg against the box and the hillside. It took a minute for her to get control of it again. Once she did, she got it in the cave but then passed out.

She woke up with the sunlight streaming into the cave. 'Oh no...' she thought to herself, 'I've got to get back before they miss me!'

She ran through the jungle and slipped in quietly to the hut she and Ginger share. Just in the nick of time as it turned out as the three men wandered out looking for breakfast.

Mary Ann could hear the three talking right outside the hut. They were all hungry and she needed to change quickly before they noticed she was wearing the same clothes today as the day before.

"I'm just saying that if Mary Ann has slept in a little, Skipper, we should let her sleep. She works just as hard as we do, if not harder." The Professor's voice was louder now and probably right outside the door.

"Look Professor, I thought you said we needed to get everyone involved here. Ginger needs up too, and the Howells. We all need rest and we can do that from the cave. In the meantime, we have to get the rest of the stuff up there." The Skipper explained everything and it made perfect sense. The only problem the Professor had, was his recent concern for Mary Ann's well being.

Mary Ann changed quickly enough and then stepped outside, "Hi guys...I'm sorry I didn't get breakfast ready yet, but I can have some food for you quickly enough." Again she felt like the weak link, but thought to herself that she had more than made up for this by getting the remaining supplies up to the cave.

The Professor looked her over for a second and noticed she appeared pale and even thin, well, thinner than normal and that also concerned him. He asked, "Mary Ann, are you feeling well this morning?"

The other two men also noticed how ill she looked and Gilligan said, "Yeah, you don't look so good."

Skipper then hit him with his hat again and said, "Gilligan, you don't tell a woman she looks bad." He then turned back to Mary Ann and asked sheepishly, "Are you...feeling alright?"

She put her hands on her hips and answered strongly, "I am just fine. I just slept in a little late that's all. Can't a girl make one mistake?" She stormed off and down to the lagoon. The three men looked at each other and then the Professor looked down the path she had just taken more concerned than ever. Mary Ann rarely showed anger and her outburst was tantamount to a mood swing. Something was wrong.

Mary Ann started to cry as she made her way to the lagoon. She couldn't find her beans and simply decided to go get more. All of her muscles ached in a way she never knew before and wasn't entirely sure she would make it down to the lagoon itself. Almost crawling up the rocks, she finally got to her coffee patch and grabbed 6, eating them all quickly.

The three men began pulling out boxes and noticed that the majority of the crates were gone. Immediately confusion set in and they raced to the cave to see if, hopefully they were there and no one had taken them, like headhunters. Sure enough, every crate was there.

The Professor shook his head, "Ok, so which of you two did this?" If he weren't so relieved, he'd be angry.

The Skipper just looked at him and said, "Well don't look at me..." then he turned to Gilligan, "Gilligan? Did you do all this little buddy?"

Gilligan asked in a squeaky voice, "Me? I had a hard enough time yesterday getting those boxes up here. I couldn't do this if I wanted to."

The Professor then said, "Oh come on...if I didn't do it, it had to be one of you."

The two looked at each other and shrugged. The three shook their heads and Gilligan then asked, "Do you think Mr. Howell did it?"

The Professor and Skipper looked at each other and almost laughed. The Professor answered, "I doubt that, Gilligan."

The Skipper then said, "Well the girls don't have the strength..."

The Professor added, "Not physically no...I wonder if they didn't work together though. You know, remember that time when they decided to show us they didn't need us? Maybe they wanted to show us again."

The Skipper said, "Maybe...only way to know is to ask."

Gilligan then said, "Mary Ann did get up late. Maybe it was because she was helping Ginger and Mrs. Howell do this." Thinking that maybe they had figured it out, they all headed back to camp.

Just before leaving, the Professor noticed beans on the ground. He picked them up, looking them over as they resembled coffee beans. He hoped that no tribe had thought they had stolen their belongings and were claiming the cave as he knew what these beans were, and they were not coffee.


	5. Chapter 5

5

Mary Ann sat up, feeling completely refreshed again. She ran back to the camp and put together breakfast quickly. Then she knocked on her hut and the Howells to get them up before running back out to the lagoon to gather some shellfish for a special dinner.

As soon as the three men made it back to camp they were greeted by the Howells and Ginger sitting at the table tired and a little upset. They heard Mr. Howell first, "I don't understand Lovey...I call for breakfast, I don't need breakfast calling me."

Mrs. Howell patted her husband's hand and told him, "Now darling, don't be angry with Mary Ann. After all, if it weren't for her we would have had to pack everything and go out collecting those nasty vines again. We must thank her Thurston for doing all those chores for us."

Ginger took another bite and said, "She has been amazing. I don't know how she does it all."

The Professor was stunned and he walked slowly over to the table letting Skipper and Gilligan go ahead of him, clearly making a beeline for the plate of food.

"Wait a minute...are you saying...Mr. and Mrs. Howell...that neither of you have been helping out like we thought?" he asked.

"Professor my good man, we helped, every morning until tee time. Then Mary Ann relieved us." Mr. Howell explained.

The Professor then turned to Ginger, "You too? How long did you pitch in before turning it all back over to Mary Ann?"

Ginger looked at the Howells already looking down at the table and answered, "Well, I worked, I did, just not for as long as Mary Ann. She had my quota filled in about an hour. It was so much more efficient..." She lost her argument as she caught the looks of the men.

The Professor then took a deep breath and asked, "So now tell me...and this will make up for this some...was it Mary Ann's idea for you girls to haul the majority of the supplies up the cave last night?"

The Howells and Ginger looked at each other in confusion and Mr. Howell spoke up, "Whatever on earth are you talking about?"

Mary Ann smiled and started to laugh. She didn't even know why exactly, but so few things brought laughter on this island so she went with it.

She looked down in the water and the shells all seemed to move around about her feet, the colors swirling. "How pretty!" she said out loud.

Then she went swimming, she had energy to work off. She felt as though she could even swim back to Hawaii and rescue the others herself. The idea probably stayed in her mind longer than it should have, but she turned around after reaching the edge of the lagoon and swam back.

Little did she know that the men had eaten and were launching a search party to find her.

Gilligan found her and then shouted to the others. "Mary Ann!" He called to her. She saw him wave to her to swim in.

She looked back at the open ocean and then swam back to the shore line. "What do you need Gilligan?" She walked out but kept walking, almost pacing around him.

He started to get dizzy as he walked in circles to keep eye contact with her. "I...uh I...uh...the Professor and Skipper want to see you." Then he did fall over.

She squealed, "Gilligan!" She bent down and shook his shoulder to wake him up, "Wake up!"

The other two men came running over and the Skipper stepped up and knelt down over Gilligan, "Gilligan, little buddy...speak to me!"

Mary Ann kept moving, this time her arms and the Professor took note of that while looking over the Skipper's shoulder at Gilligan.

Gilligan came to and said, "Stop walking in circles!" He then blinked and started to sit up.

The Skipper picked him up and told the Professor he was taking him to his hut as he clearly needed some rest.

That left the Professor and Mary Ann alone. He asked her softly, "What happened?"

She answered, "I was out swimming and collecting shellfish for dinner when he yelled to me from the shoreline. I came in and asked what he wanted and then he fainted."

He kept watching her move her arms and asked, "What's wrong with your arm? Did you injure it?"

She stopped and then started to walk out to into the water to get her basket, "I didn't injure it, I'm fine."

Taking her basket, she carried it up to him and opened it so he could see how much she had gathered so far.

He looked in and was impressed with the number of shellfish she had gathered. She smiled and then started to jog back to camp. His concern quietly mounting for her along with a new emotion he wasn't familiar with.

After the delicious lunch of shellfish, the men went back to hauling the remainder of the crates up to the cave. It had started to rain on and off again. Ginger and the Howells were listening to some hollywood and rich and famous radio show while supposedly listening for weather updates and that left Mary Ann alone. After cleaning up after lunch she passed out again. This time in the center of camp by the table, but there was no one to see her there.

She heard voices, off in a distance as she came to. Mary Ann jumped up quickly and dusted herself off before sitting at the table trying to act like she had just sat down for a minute.

"Well...that's the last of it gentlemen. The only things that remain were the dishes and the pot we use for the stews and soups. Other than that..." The Professor said as the three sat down.

They looked at Mary Ann who looked even worse than before, but all three men knew not to say that now. So the Professor spoke up, "We got everything up there..."

"Except my things...I'm sorry..." Mary Ann started and then ran off crying. She felt that although she was trying as hard as she could, she still fell short. What had she just been doing, for crying out loud...sleeping!

This time the Professor chased after her as she got down to the lagoon. He lost sight of her for a second before she emerged from some bushes. It appeared she was eating something, but by the time she got to him, she had swallowed whatever it was.

He walked up to her and said, "Mary Ann...you have nothing to be sorry for. We couldn't pack any of those things. We were still eating and living here." He told her this very clearly and concisely with his hands on her shoulders.

She closed her eyes and composed herself quickly before saying, "I'm sorry...I don't know what's wrong with me."

She sat down and he sat beside her, putting his hand on her back. "Mary Ann, I think you're just tired. We've all be working overtime to get everything moved for weeks now. You work as hard if not harder than anyone here, but your body can only handle so much. When one becomes physically exhausted usually they have a hard time reigning in their emotions causing an abnormal emotional response." She looked at him confused so he continued, "I've never seen you like this either since I've known you. I think your body has been telling you to rest, but because you push yourself, with the fatigue, other emotions are coming to the surface...Come back with me to camp and take a nap. Ok?"

His rubbing her back made her feel better but the beans were starting to kick in. She went back with him, but as soon as he left to gather the fish and transport them to the bay near the cave she got up and worked to pack all of the dishes up they would not be using tonight and then did all the laundry, so everyone would have all clean clothes when they got there.

The men got back late and the Howells and Ginger were already eating. Mary Ann sat down and played with the food on her plate but didn't eat anything. She just kept staring at it. Not one of her actions went unnoticed by the Professor.

After the food was eaten she cleaned all the dishes, packed them and got them ready to go to the cave. Although the Professor had told her they would take them in the morning, she planned to that night. She had a whole handful of beans to help her this time. Five clearly hadn't been enough and then she tried 6, then 7 and still fell asleep. Tonight she would take 10.


	6. Chapter 6

6

Making the Professor happy, she claimed she was headed to bed early as he had suggested to everyone. She found it difficult to lay still for that long and was beginning to feel the effects of the last set of beans she had eaten earlier, the 7 wear off. If she wasn't careful she would fall asleep and wake up hours later. She was thirsty though, so incredibly thirsty so she got up and went to the center of camp and took the pitcher and finished it off. Then she drank an entire pot of water that she had filled for them in the morning.

She felt worse and worse so now she thought was the time to eat the 10 coffee beans. Mary Ann expected a strong burst of energy, and that was what she got. Only this time it only lasted for about 1 hour.

Mary Ann felt like she wasn't sure she would make it back to camp after returning from the cave. She had never felt like this before. Her muscles were in a world of pain she had never experienced. 'This couldn't be happening' she thought to herself. They were leaving for the cave in the morning, she couldn't get sick now.

She finally reached the table and pulled herself up to it. Her heart was pounding in her ears and fast. She was shaking all over and sweating. Then she started crying and she didn't even know why. Everything was spinning.

The Professor, probably because he had gone to sleep so early woke up. Thirsty himself he decided to go out to the table and drink from the pitcher which he knew was filled. Initially seeing Mary Ann there didn't set off any alarms for him. He just figured she was probably thirsty too.

"Thirsty?" he asked her as he started to hand the pitcher to her. She looked up at him and he almost started to panic. "Mary Ann...Mary Ann...what's wrong?" He dropped the pitcher and brushed the matted hair from her face and saw her almost staring into space.

She didn't seem to be able to respond at first, "I...I...don't feel so good." She closed her eyes. Panic setting in but knowing he needed to stay calm in order to take care of her he felt her head, it didn't seem hot. However, she seemed to be shivering so he felt her wrist for her pulse and it was racing.

Her head started to fall over on the table and her hand dropped. When it did some of the extra beans she had collected fell out of it. The Professor's eyes widened when he saw them and thought to himself, 'Oh no, no...Mary Ann'.

At just that point she fell completely over and while he had felt her heart race just seconds ago, now he felt nothing and she wasn't breathing.

"Mary Ann!" he said and his scientific mind caught him quickly enough to begin CPR. He breathed into her and then pushed on her chest to get her heart pumping again. He was on the verge of tears and couldn't bear to think about losing her. The first castaway to go...and so young...no, and not her... All these emotions, he wasn't all that familiar with, but he knew he had to keep them at bay for now and concentrate.

Three more rounds of CPR and he checked again. She was breathing finally and he caught her faint heart beat by checking for her pulse again. He never thought he had ever exhaled the way he just did upon feeling her come back to him again. He carefully picked her up and carried her to his cot where he could keep a close eye on her. He had no idea how much damage had been done or how long she had been eating those toxic beans, the ones that gave off a euphoric feeling, but were lethal.

Thinking quickly, he modified his seismometer to detect her heartbeat. He had it attached to her chest. His other concern were the nightmares he knew would come and what effect that would have on her heart. Those beans gave one a burst of energy but also played havoc with emotions causing intense nightmares.

He silently wondered to himself if she had slept all that much since she was taking them or if she had eaten. As he thought back, these beans explained much of her behavior, but he closed his eyes as it hit him that the symptoms existed for weeks now.

Not really knowing what to do outside of waiting and feeling completely helpless, he laid down beside her. He closed his eyes and said to himself, 'If there is nothing I can do to save you...I promise you Mary Ann...you won't go through any of this alone.' Tears started making their way down his cheeks as he held her, hoping that his arms around her brought her comfort.

He slept little that night and while there were times she began to stir, he knew the best thing for her was sleep and water, lots of it to dilute the beans. Each time she seemed agitated and her heart rate climbed, he had to fight the urge to panic. Instead he smoothed back her hair, stroked her cheeks and told her she wasn't alone as he whispered in her ear. He was right there and wasn't leaving her. She was safe with him, he kept whispering over and over.

The next morning the Skipper and Gilligan went looking for the Professor. He had made it clear that everyone was to meet at the table in the morning early to prepare to leave for the next week.

The Professor slowly extracted himself from her and checked the record of her heart rate and found only one or two irregularities. He walked back over to her and kissed her forehead, the way she had his when he was sick, and quietly walked out of the hut to tell the others. He needed to stay with her. The storm wasn't set to land for another couple of days so he planned to keep her in the hut and not move her until absolutely necessary. Moving her too quickly was a bad idea. She needed as long as was possible laying on that bed.

The Skipper and Gilligan came up to him and Gilligan said, "What's going on Professor? I thought you said we needed to leave early? You don't look ready."

The Skipper caught that something was wrong by the look on the Professor's face, especially when he said, "We need to have a meeting with everyone. Gilligan, go gather everyone." He pulled the Skipper aside and told him before asking him to stay and watch the seismometer and come quickly to get him if it stopped. Then he turned and walked over to the rest.

He told them everything he knew and what he was speculating on. The other castaways were devastated. They had no idea that Mary Ann could have turned to something akin to a drug to make up for the work they were failing to do.

"Professor..." Mrs. Howell tried to ask between her sobs, "so what is this horrid bean doing to our Mary Ann?"

The Professor took a deep breath and explained, "The bean she ate causes one to feel as though they have no limits. In my research on chemicals that affect the circulatory system I read about the properties in this bean. It weakens muscles, but most specifically, the heart. Mary Ann essentially had a heart attack last night and I have no way of knowing how much damage was done. It also affects the brain and emotions."

Gasps came from all 4 castaways along with some tears. Mr. Howell who was holding his wife asked, "What can be done? There has to be something that can be done?"

The Professor told them, "She needs to stay here as long as we can safely stay. She needs rest and as soon as she regains consciousness, she needs water. So I think you should go ahead and leave me here with Mary Ann along with an ample supply of water. The latest reports have the hurricane out about 250 miles and not moving very fast, so I will need you to keep up with the coordinates, and the Skipper will come back for us when we need to evacuate."

They all shook the Professor's hand and went in one at a time, quietly to tell Mary Ann to hang on and how much she means to them.

The Skipper pulled the Professor aside and said, "I just can't believe it! I can't believe she would take something like that...a drug..."

The Professor shook his head and explained his theory, "Skipper, I doubt Mary Ann realized it had those properties. I think she found the bush and assumed they were coffee beans. They look and even smell a bit like coffee. I'm sure they gave her a burst of energy each time she ate one. I'm also convinced now that she single handedly carried all those supplies up to the cave."

The Skipper looked confused, "The supplies...but how? It was hard enough for me to get them up there, how would she..."

The Professor answered, "The beans suppress the part of the brain that registers pain. Skipper when you or I lift something that is too heavy, our brain tells us by registering the pain we feel in our arms. In Mary Ann's case here, her brain would not register the pain. Therefore she would not sense it and think that she had the muscular ability to lift these heavy boxes." He sighed, "That also means damage has been done most likely to her arm and leg muscles."

As he looked down the Skipper patted his back. Gilligan then came to the two as he emerged from the hut, "She's gonna be ok, right Professor?"

The Professor and Skipper looked at each other and the Skipper caught that the answer might actually be no. So he took Gilligan by the arm and led him back to the others. "We need to get going little buddy. You know the Professor is going to do everything he can to make sure she's alright."


	7. Chapter 7

7

It didn't take long for the group to leave and that left Mary Ann and the Professor alone in the camp. In an effort perhaps to make up for their lack of support before, the Howell's and Ginger gathered a bunch of fruit and left that in the Professor's hut so he wouldn't have to leave her alone for long when he needed to eat.

After checking on the seismometer reading again he sat down beside her on the cot. He whispered to her, "I'm so sorry Mary Ann. I should have detected this earlier. I'm a scientist for crying out loud. I should have noticed by observing you that you were in trouble and I failed you." He started to get choked up. Seeing her lying on his cot, so helpless, so hurt, made something inside him shift. All he could think about was that he couldn't lose her. Somehow, and he wasn't sure how, she had become vital to him, almost vital to his own survival.

He actually didn't quite understand his own reaction to her condition. The overwhelming sense of guilt, that he understood, but these other feelings...well. He brushed the hair back again from her beautiful face. He caressed her cheek with his thumb and felt and heard himself say, almost unconsciously, "I love you, Mary Ann. Hang on, please."

The words shocked him and he blinked his eyes a couple of times, wondering if maybe the lack of sleep from the night before had caught up to him. But as he looked back down on her peaceful face, he knew it was not sleep deprivation that caused him to say what he did. He did love her.

But now he could lose her, forever. They could all lose her. He thought back to all the different ways she had pitched in, guaranteeing their survival through her actions. She never complained. He smiled as he thought through all the times she had worked tirelessly without seeking recognition. She had asked him a few times about different plants and other wildlife they had encountered on the island and he recalled how exciting it felt to have someone ask him scientific questions again, or maybe it was just her.

Never would he have imagined falling in love with her though. He was a scientist and in his life there had been little opportunity to engage in any such courting behavior. Sure he had dated and was certainly no virgin, but the idea of romance or love finding him on this tropical island, he thought, was about as likely as Newton discovering a law of gravity without using mathematics. In fact the only times he had courted or dated anyone, he had found it awkward, almost unnatural. On the island, Ginger had tried to help him a couple of times when they were trying to convince that surfer to leave and rescue them and then there was that time he tried to court Mary Ann because he didn't want her heartbroken at news her fiancee had left her and married someone else. There was that brief whirlwind romance with Erica Tiffany Smith that went no where.

He laid back down beside Mary Ann again as he noticed her brow furrow and her heart rate start to steadily climb again. Whispering in her ear, he told her again that he was beside her, protecting her. He told her she did not have to fear anything coming to hurt her as he was there, she was safe. She seemed to hear him and her heart rate returned to normal as he laid back and closed his own eyes.

He woke up to her moving in his arms. Adrenalin shot through him as he worried she was having a seizure or panicking from a nightmare. Sitting up quickly, he noticed her eyes flutter open and her chest take in a good deep breath.

She asked him as he rolled on his side to get a better look at her, "What happened? Where am I?"

He put his hand back to her face, brushing back her hair and running his thumb over her cheek. He told her, "You collapsed last night, Mary Ann. I brought you in here so I could keep an eye on you. You are ill and you need to let me take care of you, ok?"

Something about the way he held her made her feel so good for some reason. His hand on her face brought her an amazing sense of comfort. As she looked into his eyes, she became enchanted. Deep within she felt a connection to the Professor and his attentiveness attracted her to him. Their eyes locked and he lightly brushed his lips over hers for only one second before sitting up.

He told her softly, "Stay still and let me go get you some water, ok? You need to drink lots of water to feel better."

He got up and walked over to one of the pots she had made that was left for him and Mary Ann by the others. He wasn't sure what had gotten into him. Why did he kiss her like that? It felt so natural to him. There was the possibility she would interpret it as an act of friendship, he reasoned also. He filled up a cup and brought it to her.

She started to sit up but noticed the wires attached to her chest. The Professor sat the cup down and then maneuvered around her, taking her shoulders and helping her sit up but lean against him. He then took the cup and put it to her lips telling her, "Here, just take a sip first and then when you keep that down, we'll have some more."

Confused she did as he told her but then asked, "What's all this?" She was holding up the wires.

He wasn't quite sure what to tell her. If she knew she had suffered a heart attack, would that make her panic and perhaps cause another one? What about the beans? Should he tell her that the beans she ate acted as a drug and seriously harmed her body? No, the best thing to do at this point was to tell her the exhaustion got to her and that she needed an ample amount of rest for the next couple of days. No need to unnecessarily send her into a state of panic.

So he told her whispering to her, "Those are monitors, Mary Ann. I wanted to monitor your condition since you passed out after working too hard. You're fatigued and you must rest."

She seemed to digest that just as she felt incredibly nauseous. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on not vomiting. The Professor sensed this and put the cup down.

He lightly rubbed her arms and soothingly whispered to her, "Just relax, lay back and close your eyes." She did and took a deep breath.

After opening her eyes again she told him, "I'm so thirsty, but I don't feel like I'll be able to keep anything down...Are you sure I'm just tired, or fatigued?"

The beans were making her nauseous he knew, but he couldn't tell her that. What she needed to do was dilute those beans so she would recover. So he changed the subject, "Mary Ann, just try to drink a little more. The more you drink the better you will feel. Trust me."

She took another deep breath and finished off the rest of the cup. Once she was done, he took her back in his arms as he laid down with her again, this time facing her. "Just sleep now, alright. I'm right here, keeping you safe, ok, remember that."

Mary Ann didn't know why but she felt as though she couldn't stay awake even if she wanted to. So she passed back out again and the Professor held her for the rest of the day and night.

Each time she woke up for the next two days the Professor made her drink more and more water. Then came the task of getting her out of the cot. She needed to get up and move around some.

Getting out of the cot was harder than she thought it would be. How could she have gotten so exhausted so quickly. She surmised that the fatigue was only made worse by the fact that she hadn't had any more coffee beans in a couple of days now.

The Professor not only helped her up but kept his arm around her waist at all times. It seemed as though his arms were always around her as he kept watch those two days. She wasn't sure exactly what it was he kept watch for, but the way he took care of her, touched her deeply.

She decided to tell him about the coffee on the way back to camp after walking slowly to the lagoon. Maybe if she just drank a little, she would feel better. Surely, he would know how to take those beans and make them into the drink.

"Professor?" she asked as they walked slowly back to the camp.

"Yes Mary Ann?" he answered her.

"Do you think if I drank a cup of coffee, that I would feel even better and recover faster?" she asked.

The Professor stopped in his tracks and looked at her, "Mary Ann, there is no coffee growing on this island." He was unsure of how she would react, but he didn't want to lie to her. He thought she was most likely able to handle hearing the truth now, but he also wanted to know where she found them.

She smiled at him, "Yes there is...I found it down by the lagoon. I wanted to wait until I figured out how to make it into coffee from the beans before I told everyone. Isn't it wonderful?"

The Professor turned and put both arms around her waist and stared at her for a second. Then he took one hand and brushed back her hair from her face and softly told her, "Those beans aren't coffee beans, Mary Ann. They're toxic. They caused you to collapse. Its ok though, you are recovering nicely. It was an honest mistake. They look and smell like coffee."

Mary Ann was confused, "What do you mean? Of course they are coffee beans...they gave me all kinds of energy."

The Professor kept running his hand through her hair with one hand and supporting her with his other around her waist. "I know they give off energy, but they also harm your heart and affect how your brain processes things. Like I said, you are going to be fine though. I'm not leaving your side. I love you, Mary Ann."

She didn't know what to think. Did he just say what she thought he said? And that look in his eye, it just called to her. Neither said anything as their eyes locked. The Professor then leaned over to her and softly at first bushed his lips over hers. She felt the pressure of his mouth increase, gradually, insistently. Before she knew it she felt herself responding with even deeper emotion. His hands moved around her back and pulled her to him before he broke their kiss.

The next thing she knew, he had swept her off her feet and was carrying her back to the camp as it had started to rain again, "This will get us there faster." He gently carried her back and then softly laid her on the bed. Both were soaked so he told her to rest while he ran to her hut to get her, her things. Each person was going to carry a small bag of their things up to the cave and of course, neither her nor the Professor had done that.

In the meantime, her clothes were soaked and so were his. She still felt tired and even more so with the short walk she had taken. The Professor came back in his hut and opened her suitcase. He asked, "Will it bother you, if I find you another set of clothes in here? I know it is something of an invasion of privacy, but you could catch a cold in what you have on now and that would only delay your recovery."

She shook her head and said softly laying down on the cot, "No, it wouldn't bother me, thank you for asking. You are taking such good care of me...I don't even know what to say."

He pulled out what appeared to be an oversized shirt, possibly for sleeping and a pair of shorts along with the usual undergarments. Sitting down on the cot he helped her change, trying not to let his eyes wander, looking toward the ceiling as he helped her with her shirt and then her shorts.

Once they were on and she was sitting on the cot, she told him, "The only thing I can think to say is that I love you, Professor."


	8. Chapter 8

8

The Skipper and Gilligan paced in the cave as the others sat depressed and quickly getting a case of cabin fever.

Gilligan broke the silence, "How far out is Eva now?" The hurricane about to bear down on them had been given the name of another visitor to the island that had left them stranded there.

Ginger then spoke up, "Probably a lot closer than the real Eva ever was to coming back to get us."

They turned up the radio to hear the latest weather report which had it coming ever closer. The Skipper then declared, "Gilligan, its time. Get me that umbrella thing you made so I can keep some of the wind whipped rain off my face while I make it back to camp. If the Professor and Mary Ann are going to make it to the cave in time, we've got to act now."

Gilligan ran and got the device he made himself out of palm leaves while bored yesterday. He told him as he handed it to him, "Be careful Skipper, I hope that helps and keeps Mary Ann dry so she doesn't get even more sick."

Everyone else looked at each other again, realizing once again how frail Mary Ann was and the very real possibility that she might not survive, or hadn't, they didn't really know. The Skipper thought that at least Gilligan didn't understand the gravity of the situation and that was good for now.

The Skipper took the umbrella and told him, "Little buddy, I'm sure this will help and I must say, that I'm impressed with it. Even the Professor will be impressed with it I know." Then as Gilligan walked with him to the edge of the cave, the Skipper turned to him and said, "Now, in the meantime, you, as first mate, are in charge. Take care that no one leaves and everyone gets something to eat. That includes you." He then saluted Gilligan who saluted back and with that the Skipper left.

Gilligan then straightened his hat and informed the rest of the group, "Ok, now, its time to get something to eat. We should probably just all take one piece of fruit and save the rest for later. Let's get to the back of the cave."

They started to get up and go to the back all walking together when Ginger said, "You know, I had a role in a movie once where I got caught out in a rainstorm. My co star was supposed to sweep me off my feet and carry me to a shed for shelter and then...well it was supposed to be a romance...anyway, the director had the sound effects guy play the thunder, only he played it much louder than he was supposed to and the actor dropped me because it scared him!" They all chuckled for a second at her story.

Gilligan then said, "He doesn't sound so brave to me. But don't worry Ginger, if you get scared, you can always come to me. I'm first mate..." before he could say anything else, a loud clap of thunder hit and Gilligan jumped into Ginger's arms the way he would the Skipper's should he have been there.

Ginger said, "So...does this mean I sweep you off your feet Gilligan?"

Gilligan started to blush and then cleared his throat as he got down and explained, "I...uh...I was just showing you Ginger what you could do if you needed me."

Gilligan then led the way to the back of the cave blushing slightly, as Mrs. Howell started to comment, "Really you two...if you need privacy all you have to do is tell Mr. Howell and myself. We remember what it's like to be young and in love." She said that with a wink to Ginger and Mr. Howell as they all tried hard to suppress their laughter.

The Professor packed everything away as Mary Ann slept. Although she was recovering, and he knew that, he was still debating whether or not to keep the seismometer attached to Mary Ann. There had been no irregularities in two days, but the idea of not being able to look and see that constantly frightened him.

He thought to himself, 'I'm a scientist...I understand the circulatory system and I know, rationally, that if she hasn't had a problem since the attack she should be fine. Why I can't I trust that knowledge?'

The Professor sat back down beside her and watched as she slept. It occurred to him that the risk was even greater for him now. They had both confessed that they loved the other and the joy of that declaration both elated and scared him. Losing her would come at too high a toll for him. She was vital to his very survival, he surmised.

On a positive note, being with her and around her brought him a sense of happiness he had never experienced with anyone else. He wanted nothing more than to explore these new feelings with her, record each and every one in his journal and muse over them for the rest of his life. He carefully packed that journal as well since it was so precious to him now.

He chuckled as he did pack it. When he first took this trip to Hawaii, some of his fellow scientists at the university had given it to him so he could document his entire trip. They meant it as a well understood joke that really applied to all of them that even leisure activities were subject to scientific scrutiny. So it was a fresh journal and he had worked at conserving the pages, writing mostly about plant life and currents and weather patterns, all the scientific recorded data one needed to survive for this long on this island.

However, in the last few weeks the entries had changed. More and more of them focused on Mary Ann. They started as observations on her dedication and hard work to see their small colony survive, but now had turned to romantic notions of love, caring and physical contact. He was recording the ways his feelings for her had changed and the exhilaration of those changes for him. He chuckled to himself at how frivolous his colleagues would find his journal now.

She stirred again and he brushed her hair back. Waking to his smiling face made her smile as she thought over and over again at how lucky she was. Despite being stranded on this island away from the rest of her family, she was in love.

He asked her, "How do you feel?" Are you thirsty?" He started to get up, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

She told him, "No, I'm not that thirsty. I still feel tired..." She noticed that everything seemed to be packed up. "What's going on? Oh wait...we were supposed to move to the caves, weren't we?"

The Professor rubbed her arms with his hands as he sat by her on the bed and explained, "Yes we were and I think we had better move today. I'm not sure how far out the storm is, but the rain, thunder and lightening are picking up momentum so it couldn't be that far off. Do you feel like you can walk at least part of the way? I can and plan to carry you for most of it."

Mary Ann looked skeptical, "Professor, you can't carry me and those bags. I'll walk and if I get tired and I will stop and rest, alright?" She smiled at him and he leaned over to brush one soft kiss off her lips before getting up to finish packing.

He told her, "Just lay back for now and save your strength. I still have a few things here to take care of and when I get done, we'll start out, at your pace. You need to tell me though when you are feeling too tired." He looked back and into her eyes when he told her, "I can always leave these bags wherever and carry you. You are much more valuable to me."

She started to blush when suddenly the door flew open. The Skipper came in almost panting he was breathing so hard and had some sort of umbrella looking thing that appeared as though it had gone through a washing machine.

"Skipper!" The Professor shouted as he went over to the door and started to help him to the chair in the hut. "Here sit down, are you alright?"

The Skipper took several deep breaths and then smiled as he saw Mary Ann looking at him too, but still in bed. He told them, "I'm..." deep breath..."I'm fine Professor. Just ran the last mile or so. The thunder and lightening are so close! Gilligan made this umbrella for us, but it didn't stand a chance against those winds either!" He held up what were at that point sticks with palm leaves tied to them with vines.

The Professor took it from him and said, "This is actually pretty clever. You say Gilligan devised this and supervised its construction? I'm impressed."

The Skipper smiled and then asked Mary Ann, "Uh Mary Ann...are you feeling better now? We've all been so worried."

Mary Ann looked down for a second and then said, "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry I worried you all. I just made a stupid mistake..."

The Professor walked over to her and took her hand, looking in her eyes he told her, "You didn't make a stupid mistake, you made a very human mistake. You have nothing to be sorry for, alright? Everyone worried because they care about you so much." He smiled at her to get her to smile back, which she did.

The Skipper then spoke up, "Well, we need to get all of us back to the cave. Professor, what do you need me to carry?"

The Professor then looked at the bags which he knew were not that heavy and Mary Ann. He knew the Skipper had the strength to carry Mary Ann himself easily, but the Professor really wanted to do that himself, to hold her. They hadn't really discussed whether or not to share with the others their new relationship yet. He told the Skipper, "Well, there are several bags here, so it would probably be best if you got those. I can carry Mary Ann and monitor her fatigue. We should probably wait an hour or so until this dies down however."

The nodded to each other and waited. In the meantime, the Professor finished packing things up and once the wind and thunder died down the Skipper grabbed the bags while the Professor carefully picked Mary Ann up.

They got back to the cave quickly and everyone was happy to see Mary Ann. The two had decided not to tell anyone of the change in their relationship. They had whispered to one another as he carried her and came to the mutual decision. He had told her it was like a hypothesis, you didn't share it until you had engaged in enough observation and experimentation to determine its viability. She had just chuckled and said, "You mean we want to make sure everything works out first." To which he chuckled and nodded his head, yes.


	9. Chapter 9

9

It turned out there wasn't a whole lot of observation or experimentation that needed to be done. Both could feel their love for the other grow more each day. Suppressing it was the hard part. They had no privacy in the cave, not that they expected any in the first place. Hurricane Eva went as quickly as she came. The cave provided the perfect shelter for them as they even saw waterspouts out over the ocean and worried a bit about their huts and camp.

So after 3 days the castaways made their way back to camp. Mary Ann was feeling better but none of the others would allow her to do much more than preparing a breakfast of fresh fruit. The Professor stayed at her side to keep an eye on her just to make sure everything was ok. The others seemed to accept that and didn't appear to suspect anything.

What they found when they returned were all their huts, maybe a little worse for the wear, but otherwise standing. During the day they quickly rebuilt or repaired them. Again, Mary Ann was made to sit on the sidelines. Actually they had her sitting at the table eating double helpings of fish as the Professor insisted so the protein from them would strengthen her weakened muscles.

After another week, Mary Ann began taking over the regular chores again. However, the Professor was always at her side. He asked that he tag along with her as she scouted herself different parts of the island, areas they had not explored yet. He discovered a mirror of his own curiosity. Mary Ann, it seemed had made these regular excursions to find new plants and herbs to enrich their diets. She loved discovering new things about the island.

How did he not notice these things before? He wondered to himself. She was so much like him, they were so compatible. While she boiled lobsters one evening, he looked more closely at the entries in his journal. For the first time, it seemed, he noted that he had listed her first in the list of castaways. On top of that, whenever they were really in trouble, it would appear he always made sure to be beside her and many times was holding her.

Despite the fact that he had never been one to engage in much romantic activity, he noted that when it came to Mary Ann, a very capable instinct would kick in. Every kiss was natural. Every touch occurred almost without thinking and the emotional response he received from merely touching her hand or arm or waist, was fantastic to him.

Two full weeks after her attack, Mary Ann felt better than she had in over a month and not just physically. Her relationship with the Professor had changed and each day brought the two closer together. She thought dating would be more awkward than it was, given that she hadn't dated too much before leaving for Hawaii. There was that short relationship with Horace but he had started being mean to her right before she left. In fact, he had told her she was lucky he even paid attention to her as no man would ever really take her seriously.

The Professor took her seriously. As a matter of fact, he held her hand as they walked around the island looking for new plants and herbs to consume to keep their diets varied. At least he had backed off with all the fish, she thought to herself.

Every couple of nights now, they walked up to the cliff overlooking the ocean. He would point to stars and tell her the names. It was their spot and no one knew anything about it or their relationship. At least not until Gilligan happened upon them after being yelled at by the Skipper.

He almost stomped up to the ridge mad. "Gilligan do this! Gilligan do that! Gilligan can't you watch where you're going!" He just shook his head, "They'll see, they'll all see...I can take care of myself but they can't take care of themselves not without me. Nuhuh, no sir! Fetch the water, collect coconuts, get the lobsters..." Gladys the gorilla was swinging in the trees around him as he explained it all.

Gladys made a grunting noise and took Gilligan's hat, "What?" Gilligan asked and Gladys made a noise back, "You're right I do a lot around here and they should be nicer." Gladys grunted again and Gilligan answered, "Oh no, I only took Mary Ann's and the Professor's piece of pie, they weren't there to eat it anyway. I'm not going back!"

Gilligan then took his hat back and started to walk over the ridge when he caught sight of Mary Ann laying on the Professor's chest as he took her hand and kissed it. Then she looked up at him and kissed him, right on the lips! And he kissed her back!Gilligan eyes widened big and he was so shocked he fell back into the bushes.

"What was that, Roy?" Mary Ann asked as she broke their kiss.

The Professor, still lost in her embrace said, "That was me expressing how deeply I love you, my dear."

She sat up, smiled at him and said, "No, Roy, I mean what was that noise. I heard something over in those bushes."

The Professor sat up and looked in that direction. He kissed Mary Ann on the forehead and told her, "Stay right here and I'll go check it out. Don't forget where we left off."

Gilligan stayed as still and quiet as he could, but figured he'd get caught. He thought to himself, "Roy? Who's Roy?" However, the Professor only took two steps before finding Gladys.

"Gladys...well, I hope you can keep our little secret here. You can keep a secret?" The Professor asked with a smile on his face. Unbeknown to him Gilligan was nodding his head in the bushes.

The Professor went back to Mary Ann and laid back down against the boulder taking her back in his arms, but sitting up more now. He told her, "It was just Gladys." They started kissing again and since they stopped talking Gilligan decided to peek out of the bush.

Gladys made a noise when Gilligan moved so he motioned to her to keep quiet as he carefully got out of the bush, trying to keep his eyes closed and then ran back to camp.

The rest of the castaways were listening to the radio and dancing when he got back. He bumped into the Skipper and Ginger dancing and the Skipper bellowed, "Watch where you're going Gilligan!"

Gilligan nodded and kept backing up and ran into Mrs. Howell who squealed, "Gilligan...its impolite to just cut in, you must request a dance first my dear boy."

Mr. Howell then said, "Yes, and no one cuts in on a Howell! Don't you know that?"

They all seemed to look at Gilligan again and he remembered quickly why he had gotten so frustrated to begin with. "I know lots of things Mr. Howell," was all he said and started to his hut with a smile on his face. "Things you don't know..." he added but under his breath.

At about that time Mary Ann and the Professor made their way back to camp. The Professor walked Mary Ann over to her hut and told her, "Hope you sleep well, you...uh...still need your rest to recuperate adequately."

She smiled back and said, "Thank you for being so patient with me. Good night." Only Gilligan caught that the Professor ran his hand through her hair with one hand before squeezing her hand and leaving.

Gilligan asked as he walked past him, "You going somewhere Professor?"

The Professor had a contented look on his face when he said, "Yes Gilligan I am...I'm going down to the lagoon to take a little midnight swim. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Gilligan looked confused so he asked, "But the water is so cold..."

The Professor just looked back and said, "I know...that's...uh...how I like it."

Gilligan waited til the Professor left and then burst out laughing, having a good idea as to why the Professor needed a cold shower. All the other castaways just looked at him as if he were crazy.

Mr. Howell said, "Skipper, I believe that boy needs some help!"

The Skipper just hollered over to Gilligan, "Gilligan, go get some sleep...you clearly need it."

Gilligan just looked at all of them and for once felt more on top of what was going on in the little camp than anyone else.

The next day Gilligan finished mending the fishing nets early and catching the lobsters.

Actually bringing all this in to the camp gave him the excuse to check on what Mary Ann and the Professor were doing. He walked in to the Professor's hut as he was carving something into a piece of wood with a bowl of plaster looking material with his little fire going under his experiments. "Whatcha doin Professor?" he asked innocently enough.

The Professor looked up at him and answered, "Well, Gilligan, I'm just trying to make a mold here."

Gilligan looked confused, "Mold? But I thought it had to be wet and cold to make mold."

The Professor just chuckled and said, "Not neurospora crassa...I mean green or black mold, a mold for a ring...or object...I mean. I thought I would take some of the natural metals here on the island and see if I can't make the girls some jewelry, you know to lift their spirits." He smiled at Gilligan who seemed to be digesting everything.

Gilligan thought about it and figured the jewelry was probably more for Mary Ann than Ginger. And a ring...wait a minute... Gilligan's eyes got big again and he got the biggest smile of his face.

At about that time the Professor looked back at him and Gilligan hid the smile fast and appeared to be thinking. The Professor stopped and eyed Gilligan for a second when Gilligan asked, "So what metals are on the island? I thought we got all the gold out of that cave?"

The Professor then looked as though he needed to hide something. He started to answer, "Well, I haven't gone back to check, but chances are there may be a nugget or two left, enough to make Ginger some earrings perhaps or Mary Ann a bracelet." Gilligan noticed the Professor move his college ring to the side and push it under a book hiding it.

Gilligan knew that ring meant a lot to him. He had told him more than once about it and how important college was, probably trying to convince him to enroll when they all got back to civilization. Gilligan couldn't let the Professor give up something so valuable to him when maybe he could go and mine him just enough gold for that ring he wanted to make Mary Ann. So Gilligan fibbed a little, "You know, there were a couple of nuggets left. Yeah! I remember seeing them. I could go collect them if you want." He turned to run out and ran right into Mr. Howell.

Mr. Howell again said, "Gilligan, dear boy, please watch where you are going? Now, Professor..." he said as he kept walking in, "I do say old chap, what do you need with my wife's jewelry?" He handed the Professor a handful of jewelry including rings, bracelets and earrings.

The Professor began to explain what he was doing for the girls and that he needed a model to look at as a basis for his mold as Gilligan left and ran off to the cave.

He jumped down in and started looking around the walls, "There's got to be something left in here somewhere." He plucked at each wall and found five big nuggets. Other than that, nothing. So he took what he had and climbed out of the cave and back to the camp.


	10. Chapter 10

10

Gilligan took the gold to the Professor who was beyond delighted. "Thank you Gilligan!" He gave him a hug as he took it over to his little metal bowl he made out of some leftover metal from the Minnow.

Gilligan watched in awe as the Professor melted the nugget and the carefully poured it into a mold for a ring with little things sticking off the top. Then he melted two more for two more round circles for rings. After that he melted the other two for what appeared to be hoop earrings.

'The Professor looks so happy,' Gilligan thought to himself. The Professor was lost in what he was doing so Gilligan quietly made his way outside the hut. He ran into Mary Ann who was looking for the Professor at about that time.

"Have you seen R...I mean the Professor, Gilligan? Is he in his hut? I need his help with something." Mary Ann said.

Gilligan knew that she wasn't supposed to see what the Professor was doing so he told her, "I can help you."

Mary Ann smiled and said, "I'm not sure you can Gilligan, but it is sweet of you to offer." She started to make her way to the Professor's hut.

"Uh Mary Ann..." Gilligan said to get her attention, "can you help me with something?"

She walked back over to him, "What do you need Gilligan? I need to ask the Professor about the mushrooms I found to make sure they are safe to eat."

Gilligan then made a face and said, "Ew...mushrooms...I know I haven't said anything before, but I really don't like mushrooms. Is there any way you could make my dinner without them?"

Mary Ann looked disappointed but then smiled and said, "Yes of course I can. Gilligan what was it you needed my help with?"

He smiled and told her, "Uh Skipper says I didn't get enough pineapples yesterday and that I need to collect more, can...uh...you help me bring them back here?"

She looked confused and started to tell him they had more than they needed, but if the Skipper told him to do it, then he needed to do it. She didn't want him to get in trouble on account of her. So she agreed and the two left. As they did the Professor looked out the window of his hut. He had heard the entire conversation and knew Gilligan had at least figured out that he didn't want Mary Ann to discover what he was doing in the hut. 'I wonder how much he knows?' the Professor thought to himself.

After making the molds he carefully hid them in the hut and went out in search of a nice piece of quartz while everything cooled.

Later that night Gilligan watched everyone talking to everyone else but the Professor and Mary Ann weren't just talking. When he bent over to pick up the bowl he dropped he saw that they were holding hands under the table as they sat on the end facing each other. They also seemed to be starring at each other more than talking. No one else seemed to notice that. He smiled to himself again.

The Professor caught that smile and wondered again what all Gilligan knew. However, Mary Ann squeezed his hand as she said, "Well, I guess I'll collect all these plates. Ginger, weren't you cleaning them tonight?"

Ginger nodded and said, "Yes, I have it Mary Ann. You did a lot today, maybe you should go to bed early tonight."

The others agreed and Mrs. Howell said, "Yes dear, you look a bit peeked. Why don't you go lay down and let others take care of this mess."

Mary Ann smiled and informed them, "I thank you for your concern, but I'm fine really. In fact I was thinking about taking a walk..." Then she looked at the Professor and said, "I'd like it though if someone went with me..."

The Skipper then spoke up, "I'll go with you Mary Ann. I could use a little exercise myself," he said with a chuckle as he patted his belly.

Gilligan then spoke up, "You need more than just a walk Skipper...I mean...you can't go...I...uh...I need your help with something."

The Professor smiled as he knew Gilligan must know about the relationship he and Mary Ann had kept secret for so long. How Gilligan of all people figured it out, he didn't know, but the fact that Gilligan was doing all this to help him out just endeared him to the teacher.

The Skipper then said more softly to Gilligan, "Now Gilligan, Mary Ann doesn't need to be going out alone. I'll take her for a walk and then I can help you."

The Skipper smiled but Gilligan then said, "No, the Professor can go with Mary Ann. I need your help on that...uh...navy book of yours."

The Skipper looked confused, "My old navy book? What do you want with that old navy book?"

Gilligan then took a deep breath and answered, "I want to hear again about all your old navy days so I can be a better first mate when we get back." He may have said the words, but it didn't take a scientist to know that he lacked a certain enthusiasm for hearing the Skipper's old war stories, probably for the hundredth time.

"Why little buddy, why didn't you say so...You know back in basic..." As the Skipper started everyone got up to leave and although Gilligan knew he was in for a couple of hours of old war stories, he smiled when he saw the Professor take Mary Ann's hand and walk with her out of the camp toward that ridge. He just knew that when they came back, they'd have an announcement for everyone.

Alone on the ridge the Professor and Mary Ann looked at the sunset. The scene was beautiful. The sky was purple, pink and blue all at once. After kissing for a good couple of minutes just looking out at everything, Mary Ann said, "Its so beautiful."

The Professor replied with, "The sunset isn't bad to look at either."

They looked into each other's eyes as she said, "You are so good to me. These have been the best weeks of my life. I love you so much, Roy. I never thought I would love anyone like this, I can't even describe it, I..." She started to get choked up and he brushed away a lone tear that had started to form.

He kissed her softly and then said, "I know exactly what you mean. I'm so in love with you Mary Ann. I've never felt this much in my life. Its as if I never really lived until we found each other, here...on this island." Then he went down on one knee and pulled out the ring he had so carefully made, but still looked a bit crude and asked her, "Mary Ann, I want you by my side for the rest of my life. Here on this island and then back home when we get back. Please be my wife."

She started to cry tears of joy as she told him yes. He jumped up and shouted at the top of his lungs from the ridge, "She said yes! Mary Ann said Yes!"

They both started to laugh when he picked her up and twirled her around in his arms.

Back at the huts, everyone heard the Professor, but didn't have a clue as to what he meant by Mary Ann saying yes to something. The Howells came out of the hut and Mrs. Howell asked, "Did you hear something about Mary Ann dear?"

Mr. Howell answered, "Yes apparently she agreed to something. Let's hope whatever it is, its profitable."

Ginger then spoke up, "Well, she keeps having this dream, the same one over and over, and it always ends with her waking up saying 'Yes, Yes I will' to someone named Roy." She shrugged as she looked at the Skipper.

The Skipper then said, "As long as she's ok, I mean that's the important thing..." He started to say something else when he caught a glimpse of Gilligan with this smug yet thrilled look on his face and his hands clasped excited together.

"Gilligan...would you like to speculate on what the proclamation means, little buddy?" The Skipper asked as all eyes then turned on Gilligan as he failed to hide his excitement. He clearly knew that they knew that he knew.

Gilligan slowly got up and said, "You know Skipper...I think I left my fishing pole down at the lagoon." He backed into Ginger.

She put her hands on his shoulders and said, "You know something Gilligan and you know you want to tell us."

Gilligan then turned around and backed up saying, "Oh no. No, no, no...I don't know anything. Remember, that's what you always say...I don't know anything."

He then backed into Mr. Howell who said, "No come dear boy...uh how much will it take, uh to loosen that tongue of yours, huh? Five thousand?" Gilligan shook his head so Howell continued, "Ten thousand?" He shook his head again. "I see, driving a hard bargain, ok, twenty thousand and that's my final offer!"

Gilligan then started to back up toward his hut when Mary Ann and the Professor finally made it into camp, running. They were slightly out of breath when the Professor said, "Everyone, I'm not sure if you could hear me just now but..."

They all nodded and the Skipper asked, "We heard you, is everything alright Professor?"

The two had the biggest smiles on their faces and the Professor answered, "Its more than alright Skipper, its wonderful, its just wonderful. Mary Ann has consented to be my wife! She said yes!"

The rest of the castaways stood shocked except for Gilligan who began clapping wildly and said, "Yea! Yea!"

Mary Ann and the Professor didn't quite catch the shocked looks on their faces as he grabbed her in his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips one more time.

It took everyone a minute, but Ginger started to chuckle as it was all just so adorable. The Professor was attractive alright, but not really her type. She needed more of a commanding lead man in her life who would teach her a thing or two about romance, not the other way around.

The Skipper had to do a double take but then swelled up with pride almost. He had begun to think of Mary Ann as a little sister and knew the Professor was a good man and would take good care of her on the island and civilization once they made it back.

The Howell's were just as pleased as punch, but Mrs. Howell did lean over and whisper to her husband, "You know we will have to keep a closer eye on them until the wedding. Can't have anything improper going on our island."

Mr. Howell acknowledged his wife but then began to formulate a plan in his head of something grand he could do for the happy couple. Of course he would give them some sort of small monetary gift, say $50,000 or so, mere change, but he felt that as a Howell, he must do something grand, but what? That he would have to think about longer, surely he would have it figured out before the big day.

The Professor then went over to Gilligan and patted him on the shoulder and Mary Ann proudly showed everyone her ring. "How did you know?"

Gilligan just shrugged and said, "Oh, I can just tell...ok, I got mad at the Skipper and saw you two at that ridge. I didn't see anything I promise and I left right away. I'm happy for you two."

The Professor then told him, "I just want to thank you for keeping the secret with Gladys and for helping me out by keeping Mary Ann away from my hut today and keeping the Skipper away from Mary Ann tonight."

Gilligan just answered, "I'm just happy I could help."

Just a few days later the Skipper married the happy couple. Mr. Howell walked Mary Ann down to the lagoon in a dress Ginger and Mrs. Howell had made for her. Ginger served as maid of honor and Mrs. Howell was content in a 'mother of the bride' role. Gilligan almost got teary eyed himself when the Professor asked him to be his best man.

Right before leaving to be alone on the other side of the island in a hut the men had built just for that week, the Professor told his new bride, "Are you ready my dear?"

She looked back into his eyes and said, "I've never been more ready. I love you Roy. You can't possibly know how happy I am."

After one more kiss the two left being showered by bubbles Gilligan and Ginger had created using their dishwashing soap. They held hands as they disappeared into the jungle to start their marriage.


End file.
